The Bottom Line
Jul 16 2011 - The ASUS G74SX-XT1 is a 17.3 inch desktop replacement that is packed with high performance hardware for a reasonable $1,599 price. Equipped with a quad-core Intel Core i7-2630QM processor, the system is capable of smooth multitasking and photo editing. Gaming on the 17.3 inch full HD display is a delight thanks to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M graphics card with 3GB GDDR5 video RAM. Although the hard drive is merely average at 500GB, opting for the G74SX-XT1 over the G74SX-A1 with two 750GB drives will save you $200, which is worthwhile if you plan on upgrading the drive yourself.
Pros
- Fast Processor
- Powerful Video Card
- Full HD Display
Cons
- Smaller Hard Drive
- Heavy
Description
- Intel Core i7-2630QM 2.0GHz Quad Core Processor
- 17.3 Inch Full HD 1920x1080 Display
- 12GB DDR3 1333MHz Memory (up to 16GB)
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M 3GB GDDR5 Graphics Card
- 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
- Blu-ray/DVD Combo Drive
- 8-in-1 Card Reader
- HD Web Cam
- 3 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0, 1 HDMI Port
- 8 Cell Battery
- 16.5" x 12.8" x 2.4" @ 9.4 Pounds
Review - ASUS G74SX-XT1 17.3 Inch Gaming Laptop PC
ASUS recently introduced the successor to the popular G73, the G74SX, and this line of laptops continues the tradition of housing powerful hardware for the ultimate gaming experience. The G74SX-XT1 is up for review today and sports a $1,599 price tag versus the $1,799 G74SX-A1 model. But what is sacrificed to make up for the difference in price? Luckily, not much. In fact, if you can handle only having 500GB of hard drive space (or wish to upgrade to another drive yourself - perhaps an SSD?), you're better off opting for this model to save the extra cash.
As mentioned above, the ASUS G74SX-XT1 sports virtually identical hardware compared to the more expensive G74SX-A1. This holds true regarding the display. A 17.3 inch full HD 1920 x 1080 screen is standard with this configuration. This is an important component in a gaming laptop as you want images to look crisp and vivid. The ASUS G74SX-XT1 also sports a Blu-ray drive for watching HD movies on the laptop or on a compatible HDTV via an HDMI output.
For $1,600, you also get a quad-core Intel Core i7-2630QM Sandy Bridge processor that runs at 2.0GHz. This chip is fast and a great value. Since the ASUS G74SX-XT1 is made for gaming, the laptop also is equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M card with 3GB of GDDR5 video RAM. This card is top-notch with 3D Vision capability when combined with compatible hardware, such as a 3D HDTV and active shutter glasses. The 3GB of GDDR5 allows games to run smoothly. In summary, the G74SX-XT1 is an excellent laptop for playing DirectX 11 games.
Considering many users are also using their laptops for more than gaming, you'll find the 12GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory to be beneficial during photo editing and extensive multitasking. Once again, ASUS offers a good value for the price point with this much memory as 8GB is typically found in many competing notebooks.
Where the ASUS G74SX-XT1 differs from the A1 model is in hard drive space. The G74SX-A1 sports two 750GB 7200RPM hard drives for 1.5TB of total space. However, the G74SX-XT1 has a single 500GB 7200RPM hard drive. If you aren't concerned with space on a laptop or if you plan to upgrade the drive in the future, then the ASUS G74SX-XT1 is the model of choice due to its price tag, which is $200 lower than the A1.
The gaming notebook also comes with an 8 cell battery, although playing games at max settings requires plug-in power. This desktop replacement is on the heavy side at 9.4 pounds since it's a large 17.3-inch notebook. But if you can live without portability, the G74SX-XT1 is a great gaming laptop with high performance components, including a USB 3.0 port.
Overall, the ASUS Republic of Gamers G74SX-XT1 is a great system for those looking to game on a laptop. The updated graphics card is powerful and offers an abundance of video RAM. The laptop itself features the same matte black finish as the G73 line with a 10-key numeric keypad. The full HD display is gorgeous and offers excellent visuals for multimedia as well.